I've been watching this thread for the last week and am beginning to think this may be a "one-off" or tool room prototype that never went anywhere.

I'm basing my opinion on the fact that the depth of knowledge here is quite high and no one has come up with just what it is. The grips sit at a strange angle and look like they were "borrowed" from something else and the fit and finish somehow just doesn't seem like anything that went into production.

If there never was a trigger or plans for one, why a trigger guard? I have been thinking along the same lines as deadin, maybe a prototype or even a fake gun made for use in crime or to intimidate when a real gun is impossible to obtain. In that case, a trigger would not be needed, but then neither would a grip safety.

Some 30 yrs ago, I collected semi-auto pistols and belonged to the Nat'l Automatic Pistol Collectors Assoc and at one of their meetings, a similar guns was exhibited that fired by squeezing the lever on the back of the grip, instead of a standard trigger. It had a trigger guard however. A search of the European patent records may give a better answer. Ed.

This is a Belgium WS or Wegria-Charlier made by Fabrique d'Armes Charlier & Companie, Liege. It's 6.35 mm Auto. Patented by inventor named Alfred Wegria in 1908, this pistol lacked a conventional trigger. It was fired by squeezing the pivoting lever set into the back strap of the butt.

I would imagine that the spring would have had to be pretty strong to prevent just that kind of accident. Still, it is like inventing the square wheel (can't accidentally roll away!) because one is tired of looking at round ones. I guess the "trigger guard" was just to satisfy convention.

The value on something like that is always debatable. It is certainly rare; there are probably more Paterson Colts around. Yet, it was a design dead end, not the beginning of a legendary company. Any WAGs? I would say maybe $400 to an auto pistol collector.

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